COWSLIP (Primula veris), also known as Fairy Cups, is an ancient low-growing perennial native to most of Europe and Asia. It is the official flower of four English counties. The beautiful nodding 1"-2" fragrant (anise-scented) cupped flowers are produced April - May in clusters of 10-30 on a single 6"-12" stem. In medieval times, cowslip was used to protect farmers' dairy cows from milk sucking fairies who would ride in on bats or something like that. Fairies are very big in England. The nectar was used to make mead and in the 19th Century the flower was used as a garland for maypoles. Often grown in drifts or as part of wildflower meadows, it is also a favorite food of wild rabbits for good reason - it is edible and quite delicious. The flowers have a distinctive, fresh fragrance and were used to make a fermented "Cowslip Wine" made from the "peeps" or yellow petal rings (see below). The leaves are a wonderful salad green while the flowers can be sugared and used as cake decorations. A favorite subject of artists and illustrators. Perennial. 25 seeds.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES: Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" refers to the ancient belief that cowslip was magical for the complexion. An excellent sedative, diuretic, expectorant and antispasmodic used to treat whooping cough, tremors, headaches and other conditions. You can brew the flowers as tea. Caution is urged, however, as some folks are allergic to it and pregnant women should not ingest cowslip in any form -- it can stimulate the uterus. 

GROWING TIPS: Not at all fussy. The very tiny seeds should be laid down on LIGHT sterilized potting mix. They are light dependent germinators so sow them on top, press into the soil gently, mist to moisten and cover with plastic and chilled in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. Then transfer to a 70 degree location for germination which takes from 3-6 weeks. When they sprout, remove the plastic. Transplant to individual pots when they are 2" tall. Harden off gradually and plant out when danger of frost is past. They will bloom the following and successive springs. They will naturalize so once you get a good clump growing you will have more each year.

TO MAKE COWSLIP WINE: Gather a gallon of peeps and combine with 4 lbs of lump sugar, the rind of 3 lemons, and a gallon of cold spring water. Add a cup of fresh yeast and stir once a day every day for a week. Then put in barrel with the juice of the 3 lemons and leave to work. When it is quiet, cork it down for 8-9 months before checking again. It should be clear and of a pale yellow color. It is then good to bottle.

CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM GARDEN SEEDS & PLANTS offer hundreds of heirloom and vintage open-pollinated varieties. Most have histories dating back centuries and are tried and true producers. Some are rare, or threatened with extinction. When you grow a plant from heirloom seed and save that seed, you are participating in a practice that goes back for generations. Our grandparents and their grandparents grew these varieties. Often the seeds were prized possessions carried to the New World when they emigrated.

Ever notice how most seed catalogs require you to buy much more seed than you could possibly use in a season? If you have a budget for garden seeds, this limits your choices! Although seeds can be viable for longer than one growing season, it requires that they be stored at a consistent temperature and humidity. Few of us do this. CherryGal sizes its seed packets for the home gardener, because we know you may want to grow 5 different lettuces, or three different corns, or 50 different vegetables, herbs and flowers -- and don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it all! We strive to keep our overhead as low as possible so our seed prices can stay as low as possible. So we do not have a huge staff, no printed catalogues -- just very fine fresh heritage seeds at unbelievable prices. CHERRYGAL SEEDS ARE A TREMENDOUS BARGAIN!

Another important reason to grow a large variety of plants is that one of the chief culprits in honey bee colony collapse disorder seems to be that their immune systems are weakened by the prevalence of commercial mono-cropping. In other words, bees pollinating only one variety crop have a diet equivalent to eating only bread. Growing an abundant variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers will help sustain our precious honeybees!

All seeds offered are FRESH stock, with high germination rates, tested by the growers and myself. Varieties are specially selected for home gardeners. If you want the flavor you remember from grandma's kitchen garden or the beauty of her cottage flowers, choose CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS.

ABOUT OPEN-POLLINATED SEEDS . . . All CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are heirlooms (dating at least 100 years) or vintage (mid-20th Century or older) varieties, with an occasional modern variety included which I believe merits special attention. All CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are OPEN-POLLINATED. This means saved seed will be true to the parent. Don't be dazzled by the never-ending array of hybrid seeds promoted by gardening suppliers. First, seeds from that produce will not grow true to the parent -- you have to keep buying the hybrid seed (get the picture?). Second, most hybrids are developed for market – not home -- growers with an emphasis on extended shelf life, storage and shipping qualities -- NOT flavor, texture, fragrance and all those other elements that home growers seek.

All CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS come from reputable growers (most of them small farms) and wherever possible ORGANIC suppliers (so noted). By buying CHERRYGAL SEEDS you are supporting the growing worldwide movement of SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE and with a little practice you will be able to save even more money in the future by growing these open-pollinated varieties and saving seed for next year.

Please Note: CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are guaranteed to be fresh stock, but are not guaranteed as to results. Sorry, but there are too many variables in gardening that can impact germination so please do not ask for a refund, replacement or to return unused seed. I always recommend that if you are new to gardening, or to a particular type of plant or variety, that you grow just a few at first to test your germination method. Email with any questions - I always respond promptly. Having said all that, we think you will be pleased and would like to hear about your gardening success!

SHIPPING: This is important! Practiced gardeners know that the best time to order seeds is as early as possible in the season. I do not list varieties for sale that are not in hand. I also add/subtract varieties all season long as inventory fluctuates, so check back often. We are constantly improving our fulfillment procedures to decrease the amount of time from order to shipping. We have added a SHIPPING BANNER to the front of the site and on every listing page which will give you the current time frame for shipping seeds. In off-season, seeds ship very quickly - usually the next business day. But as the prime season comes on, shipping can slow. Please consult this shipping banner before you purchase, so there will be no disappointments! We fulfill orders in the order received. Choosing priority or express shipping does not influence the speed with which your order is processed, only the speed with which it moves through the postal system. I package my seeds for shipping in a manner appropriate to the amount and type of seed - larger orders and larger seeds require more packaging. Whether you choose first class mail or priority shipping, your seeds will ship using a delivery confirmation number which will be supplied to you. This is NOT a tracking number, usually. The new postal protocols are such that your package is not scanned on my end (usually) and will not appear in usps tracking until it gets to your end. Our checkout system is keyed to the US Postal System. For small seed orders, I recommend choosing FIRST CLASS mail at checkout. Larger orders (over 13 ounces) can ship either parcel post, or you may find PRIORITY MAIL to be less expensive, depending on your zipcode. (I gave up trying to figure out the US Postal System rates a long time ago).

I appreciate all my CherryGal.com customers, but have a special affinity for my seed customers. If you have a problem, please email me, using the contact links that are all over the website. Calling is likely to be a frustrating experience, as I do not have the staff to answer the phone, but your email will be promptly responded to.

Lastly, keep an eye out for my end of season sale. It is always a bargain and it is my goal to completely clear the shelves each season so that I am offering you only the freshest seeds year to year. Happy Gardening!